A few years ago, I had the opportunity to view a short movie filmed by the University of Minnesota’s Raptor Center. The film showed a mature Bald Eagle writhing in the throes of a painful death from lead poisoning. Dr. Pat Redig, the director of the Center at the time, informed us that the Center sees a marked increase in eagle lead poisoning coinciding with the hunting season, as eagles feed on gut piles and unrecovered deer. The Raptor Center sees on average 150 injured eagle each year. 25-30% of them have lead poisoning and most of them will die from it.
But Bald Eagles are not the only beloved Minnesota birds subjected to lead poisoning. Our state bird, the Common Loon, can accidentally pick up a lead sinker on the lake bottom when gleaning for grit. One sinker can kill a loon. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency estimates 14% of all Minnesota loons die this way. Trumpeter Swans, those magnificent white birds now overwintering on the St. Croix River, only recently restored from near-extinction due to habitat loss and hunting, also die from lead poisoning. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources estimates that 40% of swan deaths are due to lead.
We have known for decades that lead is a poison causing brain damage and other developmental problems in children. That is why it was banned fifty years ago as a gasoline additive, in paints, and in children’s toys. Yet somehow, we turned a blind eye to lead in the environment—until now.
This legislative session, Minnesotans have the opportunity to ban the use of lead in fishing tackle (jigs and sinkers) and in ammunition used in recreational hunting, Alternatives to these are available, perform well, and are cost-effective. Knowing that lead can enter the ecosystem and make its way up the food chain is reason enough for an ethical sports person to switch to alternatives.
Bald Eagles and Trumpeter Swans have been restored to Minnesota in my lifetime. When I began birding as a teen, there were no swans, and very few eagles in the state. It was only by great effort, good laws (like the Endangered Species Act) and diligent protection that they now flourish. Lead affects other water birds as well, and in this time of a changing climate, no bird population can absorb environmental poisoning without ill effects. It breaks my heart to see such needless damage to such beautiful birds when it could so easily be eliminated.
This is a fixable problem. Let your elected officials know that you support banning lead ammunition and lead fishing tackle in Minnesota.
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